Let me start with the fact that I no longer own this car. The moment it was "warning light free" and passed inspection I immediately traded it in for a new Honda. I'd had enough. The car is great, the warranty service is terrible and near useless. Authorized Fiat warranty service locations are like finding Narnia. Every FCA service center I've contacted will NOT do warranty work on a Fiat. Only Fiat "Studios".
I bought a new 2015 Fiat 500 Sport new July 2015. Within the first 1,000 miles the "Service Engine Soon" light came on. I called the dealer and was told to "check the gas cap". It might be loose. That's nonsense. They ratchet so there's no way to tighten them more than that. A few days later, the light went off. This repeated itself several times. At 4,000 miles I took the car in for a "once over" since I was house hunting and potentially moving soon. I wanted them to give the car a checkup, do what needs to be done, and resolve this "Service Engine Soon" problem. I left the car with the dealer for a week. They claim the problem was the O2 sensor and it was fixed. Nope.
During the next few months of many long drives: "Service Engine Soon" would come on and go off with no rhyme or reason. "Service ESC and Hill Start Assist" joined this "festival of lights", that would come and and go off a short time later. The car ran fine, though.
Fast forward to the clutch recall: I mentioned the "festival of lights" issue to the new "Fiat Studio". I wanted it resolved once and for all. The clutch and brake pedal assembly was replaced, the O2 sensors were checked replaced (so they say), but now "Service ESC and Hill Start Assist" were the main problem - until "Service Engine Soon" started again. P2626, O2 Sensor, again. Just for good measure, the Throttle Position Sensor went leaving the car in limp home mode.
Once again, it was all "resolved" without any explanation as to why any of this was happening. Throughout it all I kept asking then to check all the connections in the engine compartment. This was feeling suspiciously like a frayed wiring, or bad connectors. Of course, the problems persisted, and were getting worse. I bought an OBD2 scanner and analyzed a months worth of sensor data driving locally. I wouldn't trust the car outside of town limits. This is a very small town. I bought an old Honda, which was now my primary car.
Then the battery died. A week before I had it tested and it was fine. A week later, dead. No reason. What I discovered was sensors were "dropping out" all over. For a second sensors here and there would just stop sending data, and no codes were being stored. It happened mostly when it was humid, damp, or raining.
The inspection was coming up, and there was a stored P2626, the infamous O2 sensor(s) - yet again. I brought the car in with a pack of printouts and observation notes, which they had no interest in. Once again, I said to check the connectors and wiring, and brought up the dampness, humidity and rain coincidence. I suggested that they wet down the engine compartment from every angle. They ignored that, too.
And then things got heated. There was no way I was taking the car home until they hosed down the engine compartment. Bingo! Lights came on and codes were stored.
The claim that the wiring to/from the ECU was loose. Now, if you haven't been under the hood of a Fiat 500, the ECU, battery, pedal assembly are all on the driver's side (LHD). The ECU is near the windshield. So this all localized in that one area.
So, if you're seeing the "festival of lights" without any rhyme or reason, wet down the engine compartment, check for loose connections, and buy an OBD2 scanner. Warranty service is hopeless.
On that note: Trying to get a clear info about the extended warranty is a lesson in futility. With so few "Fiat Studios" or authorized Fiat warranty service locations it, apparently, still doesn't apply to other FCA dealers. Or, maybe it does. There's no clear answer. Yet, the service contract is valid at all FCA locations, maybe. Considering the horrific trade-in value on a Fiat 500 of any age, it's debatable if these plans have any value. The cars certainly don't. My 10 year old Honda traded-in higher than a 3 year old Fiat.
To end this on a positive note: I liked my Fiat. It was iconic in this small town. I enjoyed driving it and owning it, considering how little trouble-free use I got out of it. I had my doubts about Mopar servicing this brand properly, and I was right. It was as bad as I expected it to be.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Let me start with the fact that I no longer own this car. The moment it was "warning light free" and passed inspection I immediately traded it in for a new Honda. I'd had enough. The car is great, the warranty service is terrible and near useless. Authorized Fiat warranty service locations are like finding Narnia. Every FCA service center I've contacted will NOT do warranty work on a Fiat. Only Fiat "Studios".
I bought a new 2015 Fiat 500 Sport new July 2015. Within the first 1,000 miles the "Service Engine Soon" light came on. I called the dealer and was told to "check the gas cap". It might be loose. That's nonsense. They ratchet so there's no way to tighten them more than that. A few days later, the light went off. This repeated itself several times. At 4,000 miles I took the car in for a "once over" since I was house hunting and potentially moving soon. I wanted them to give the car a checkup, do what needs to be done, and resolve this "Service Engine Soon" problem. I left the car with the dealer for a week. They claim the problem was the O2 sensor and it was fixed. Nope.
During the next few months of many long drives: "Service Engine Soon" would come on and go off with no rhyme or reason. "Service ESC and Hill Start Assist" joined this "festival of lights", that would come and and go off a short time later. The car ran fine, though.
Fast forward to the clutch recall: I mentioned the "festival of lights" issue to the new "Fiat Studio". I wanted it resolved once and for all. The clutch and brake pedal assembly was replaced, the O2 sensors were checked replaced (so they say), but now "Service ESC and Hill Start Assist" were the main problem - until "Service Engine Soon" started again. P2626, O2 Sensor, again. Just for good measure, the Throttle Position Sensor went leaving the car in limp home mode.
Once again, it was all "resolved" without any explanation as to why any of this was happening. Throughout it all I kept asking then to check all the connections in the engine compartment. This was feeling suspiciously like a frayed wiring, or bad connectors. Of course, the problems persisted, and were getting worse. I bought an OBD2 scanner and analyzed a months worth of sensor data driving locally. I wouldn't trust the car outside of town limits. This is a very small town. I bought an old Honda, which was now my primary car.
Then the battery died. A week before I had it tested and it was fine. A week later, dead. No reason. What I discovered was sensors were "dropping out" all over. For a second sensors here and there would just stop sending data, and no codes were being stored. It happened mostly when it was humid, damp, or raining.
The inspection was coming up, and there was a stored P2626, the infamous O2 sensor(s) - yet again. I brought the car in with a pack of printouts and observation notes, which they had no interest in. Once again, I said to check the connectors and wiring, and brought up the dampness, humidity and rain coincidence. I suggested that they wet down the engine compartment from every angle. They ignored that, too.
And then things got heated. There was no way I was taking the car home until they hosed down the engine compartment. Bingo! Lights came on and codes were stored.
The claim that the wiring to/from the ECU was loose. Now, if you haven't been under the hood of a Fiat 500, the ECU, battery, pedal assembly are all on the driver's side (LHD). The ECU is near the windshield. So this all localized in that one area.
So, if you're seeing the "festival of lights" without any rhyme or reason, wet down the engine compartment, check for loose connections, and buy an OBD2 scanner. Warranty service is hopeless.
On that note: Trying to get a clear info about the extended warranty is a lesson in futility. With so few "Fiat Studios" or authorized Fiat warranty service locations it, apparently, still doesn't apply to other FCA dealers. Or, maybe it does. There's no clear answer. Yet, the service contract is valid at all FCA locations, maybe. Considering the horrific trade-in value on a Fiat 500 of any age, it's debatable if these plans have any value. The cars certainly don't. My 10 year old Honda traded-in higher than a 3 year old Fiat.
To end this on a positive note: I liked my Fiat. It was iconic in this small town. I enjoyed driving it and owning it, considering how little trouble-free use I got out of it. I had my doubts about Mopar servicing this brand properly, and I was right. It was as bad as I expected it to be.
- Ken C., Hyde Park, NY, US